markland



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. H. MARKLAND. DOOR CATCH ADAPTEDYTO BE OPERATED BY ELECTRICITY.

No. 350,312. Patented Oct. 5, 1886.

(No Model.) 3' Sheets-Sheet 2, W. H. MARKLAND.

DOOR CATCH ADAPTED TO BE OPERATED BY BLBGTRIGITY. No. 350,312. Patented Oct. 5, 1886.

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4 d my 4 4 114/7 D E |||fi I w vkmawa N. PETERS. Phntn-Lhhagnphar. Washington, D. C.

(No Model.) v 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

W. H. MARKLAND.

DOOR GATGH ADAPTED TO BE OPERATED BY ELECTRICITY. No. 350,312. Patented Oct. 5, 1886.

h. PEYERS. PIwivUlhumphnr, Wnshinglon. ac.

. UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I WILLIAM H. MARKLAN'D, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, AssIcNOR TO TUCKER & BAXTER, OF SAME PLACE.

DOOR-CATCH ADAPTED TO BE OPERATED BY ELECTRICITY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 350,312, dated October 5, 1886.

Application filed February 9, 1886. Serial No. 191,276. (No'modeL) o To (ZZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. MARK- LAND, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and

State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door Catches Adapted to be Operated by Electricity; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,

1 reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

The object of this invention is a door-catch especially adapted to hold heavy doors in position open and to release the same by the action ofelectricity;andit,oonsists of a springbolt of peculiar construction provided with a stop to holditin position against a trigger,and of a releasing device whereby the stop is freed and the spring of the bolt allowed to operate upon it to release the door. y

In the drawings, Figurel is an elevation of my invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan of the same. Fig. .4 shows the same as applied to a sliding door. Fig. 5 is an elevation of my invention,showing a modified arrangement of the bolt. Fig. 6 is an end view of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a side view of a modification of the releasing device. Fig. 8 is a plan view of the releasing device, Fig. 7.

Similar figures of reference indicate like parts in all the. drawings.

A is a suitable plate on which the parts may be mounted; B, the magnets, with wires car- 5 ried to binding-posts a a, and then suitably connected by wires or a to the battery 0 and thermostat D, as shown in Fig. 4.

Beneath the magnets B, in suitable bearings,

is pivotally mounted an armature-lever, b,

which carries the armature 0, and to the outer end of the lever 12 a rod, d, is pivotally connected, which is weighted by a suitable weight,

d. At the outer end of the lever b a tensionspring, 6, is attached, which is regulatedby an 4 5 adjustment-screw, e, in the post E. Below the lever b a trigger, f, is pivoted to the plate A, the outer end of which is supported by the set-screw F, by which its downward movement may be adjusted. The rod dis secured to this trigger f by means of a pin or screw, 9, on the trigger f, which screw plays freely in the vertical slot 9 of the rod d until it engages with the lower part of the slot by the upward movement of the rod d. By means of the tensionspring 6 the weighted rod d is adjusted so that the parts will be supported on the screw F,but will be nearly balanced, in order that but little electrical energy may be required to draw up the armature c, and with it the rod 01 and trigger f. By this arrangement the armature is attracted and approaches the magnet, meeting at first with but little resistance from below, and as its motion is accelerated and the attracting power of the magnet increases by the nearer position of the armature, the impetus thereby given to the parts will act upon the trigger by percussion, when thelower edge of the slot 9 strikes against the pin g, and not by a gradual drawing motion, by which operation the power exerted by the releasing de-' vice is proportionately very great.

I show two methods of arranging the bolts for use in my invention, one, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, in which the spring-bolt G may be fiat. This bolt is arranged to movein 7 5 a cage formed on the plate A by the strip I, supported on suitable standards, J. In this frame friction-wheels Z Z are arranged, which support and guide the bolt G above and below. To support and guide the bolt on its-8o sides, I provide twofriction-wheels fixed in position and two that move with the bolt G. At the side of the bolt nearest the door H the fixed frictionwheel m is on the side of the bolt against which the door impinges, and on the other end the fixed friction-wheel m is on the opposite side of the bolt. The movable frictionwheels n n form a carriage, being supported by the strips 45 i, which pass diagonally across the bolt, between it and the spring k, and this 0 carriage, consisting of the strips ii and friction-wheels n n, is free to move with the bolt G forward and backward, the forward wheel,

n, being confined in the L-piece'o o. By this arrangement the friction of moving the bolt G 5 is reduced to a minimum.

Near the middle of the bolt G a stop, 10, is attached thereto, between which and the L- piece 0 a spring, k, is inclosed around the bolt,

which serves to throw the bolt inward and mo away from the door H, when free to act. The door II may also be provided with a frictionroller, h, against which the bolt G operates. On the L-piece 0 rubber or other suitable elastic buffers, j j, may be provided, to receive the impact of the stop 1) when the bolt G is thrown back.

The method of operation is as follows: The

door H is run back from its opening M on the incline L, which is suitably secured to the wall K. The bolt G is then pushed forward until it obstructs the door, as shown clearly in Fig. 3, the trigger f being raised to let the stop 19 pass under it, and then the triggerf is lowered until it rests against the stop 19, preventing the bolt G being pushed back by the action ofthe spring 70 and retaining it in position against the door. W'hen the thermostat D is heated to the designated degree of temperature, the circuit is closed, exciting the magnet B and attracting the armature 0. As the armature approaches the magnet its motion is accelerated and the attracting-power of the magnet increased, so that when the end of the slot g strikes the pin 9 on the trigger f the blow is of considerable power, disengaging the trigger f from the stop 1), allowing the spring k to operate, throwing back the bolt G from the door H, which, being released, runs down the in- I cline L and closes its opening. This arrangement of bolt and bearings is especially applicable where very heavy doors are employed, as a spring, 70, of considerable resistance may be operated bya comparatively feeble magnet by means of the percussive operation of the releasing parts.

For lighter doors I may employ the bolt and bearings shown in Figs. 5 and 6. In this the angled supports q q are secured to the plate A. \Vithin each are arranged two concave friction-rollers, r '0', between which the bolt G is supported. The bolt G has secu red to it a suitable stop, 1), which may be in the form of a disk, and between this stop and the 3 bearing (1 nearest the door the spring 7c is inclosed. The trigger f operates against the stop 1) to hold the bolt in place. The operation of the other parts is the same as has already been above described.

) In Figs. 7 and 8 is shown a modification of the releasing device. In this the stop 1) of Fig. 5 is held in position by the end of the rod cl, the trigger f being dispensed with. In this arrangement of my invention a support,

R, is attached to the plate A,.which carries two friction-wheels, 88, between which the rod d" is supported at an incline to the plate A. On the other side of the rod d a frictionwheel, t, is mounted in the support P, and this a wheel t bears the pressure of the stop 1) upon the rod (1 The armature-lever b is weighted, and is balanced in position by the spring a, as in the other instance of my invention. The rod d is attached to the lever b by means of the slot and screw u, so that they will not engage until after the armature has traversed a portion of its path toward the magnet. To adjust the downward movement of the rod d, a

sliding stop, 9*, is attached thereto, the lower end of which rests upon the support It when fixed in suitable position. As .the magnet B becomes excited, it attracts the armature 0, bringing up the lever b until the slot and screw come into engagement, whereby the rod d is struck upward, releasing the stop 1, allowing the spring k to throw back the bolt G.

By this invention a very effective and reli able door-catch is operated with but little expense of battery, and all of the parts are simple and not liable to get out of order.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a door-catch adapted to be released electrically by percussion, a spring-bolt, G, provided with stop p, triggerf, rod d, and armature c, in combination with a suitable n1agnet and battery adapted to actuate the armature, substantially as described and shown.

2. In a door-catch adapted to be released electrically by percussion, a suitable support, as A, angled portions q q, and frictiomrollers r r, in combination with a spring-bolt, G, provided with the stop p and trigger f, substantially as described and shown.

3. In a door-catch adapted to be operated electrically by percussion, a spring-bolt, G, strips i t, and friction-wheels n n, in combination with the friction-wheels ll and m m, arranged substantially as described and shown.

'4. The percussive releasing device described, consisting of a bolt with a stop, asp, and a suitable magnet, in combination with an armature, c, carrying a rod, as d, adjusted relative to the stop 19 to operate upon the same after the armature has traversed a part of its path toward the magnet, substantially as described and shown.

5. A door-catch consisting of a spring-bolt, G, provided with stop 1 trigger f, rod d, and armature c, in combination with a magnet, B, a suitable battery and its connections, and a thermostat interposed in the circuit and adapted to close the circuit and actuate the armature at a determined degree of temperature, substantially as described and shown.

\VILLIAM H. MARKLAND.

\Vitnesses:

CHANNING Bax'rnn, EDWARD L. BRADLEY. 

